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Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

**** (out of 4)

The incredible true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a simple man from Virginia who grows up with a strong religious nature, which means that he can not kill anyone. WWII breaks out and Doss believes it's his duty to sign up but he's soon butting heads with the people in his troop as he refuses to pick up a gun. They believe him to be a coward and can't understand his feelings but soon he's going to have to prove his worth during the battle of Okinawa.

Mel Gibson's HACKSAW RIDGE is a story that probably would have been laughed off the page had it not been based on a true story. Obviously I'm not going to spoil the various plot points in the film but it's quite remarkable what this young man did. Not only the courage he showed but also the guts it took for him to stand up and do what he believed in. Gibson's direction is perfect and technically speaking there's not a single flaw to be found. There's no question that the film is one of the greatest war movies out there.

What makes the film work so wonderfully well is that the drama off the battle field is just as intense as what is on the battle field once we get there. The battle scenes themselves are downright horrific and there about as tense as you're ever going to witness on a screen. Gibson's direction through these scenes was terrific and I must say that he managed to put some of the most graphic war scenes that you're ever going to witness. There's also a jump scare that happens towards the end, which has to be one of the greatest of any film I've seen. There's no question that you feel the horror that these men felt and it's just amazing that anyone could go through that and survive.

Many people say SAVING PRIVATE RYAN has the greatest battle scenes and they're perfect but so are the ones here. What makes this film even greater for me is the fact that the story outside the battle is wonderful. I thought the training sequences were terrific and I thought the abuse that Doss goes through was terrific. Yes, we've seen this stuff in countless war movies but the story here is just so great and Gibson does such a wonderful job that you can't help but feel as if they're fresh and original. It also helps that the entire cast is so wonderful with Garfield leading the way. He's simply terrific here and not once do you ever feel as if you're watching an actor doing a part. You really do feel as if you're watching a real man battle with his beliefs. Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, Hugo Weaving and Teresa Palmer are all terrific as well.

I usually hate when a new movie opens and it gets labeled "the greatest" this or "the greatest" that. I honestly think films need time to grow and time to become a classic but I honestly have no reservation calling this film something truly special. It works on every level and it's really a masterful piece of filmmaking and it shows once again that Gibson is one of the greatest director's working.

I watched it with zero expectations as i don't watch that many war movies.. this one had 8.1 imdb and the hero is andrew Garfield, so i gave it a shot.. 5 minutes into the movie , i was so intrigued. The love story felt so intimate even i smiled when they kissed.. then comes the real movie.. man, this is the best war movie I've watched so far. Hands down.. felt like i was in a real war.. the scenes are really brutal and shows the actual things that happen in a war field.. the gory makeups , the filmmaking quality, shots, music everything was at point.. definitely a great movie.. i was so frikin entertained till the end , and you know what? I felt like wanna scream at the end when it said directed by mel gibson.. i didn't know it was his masterwork until the credit.. midway through the movie i was wondering who the director was because of how good it's made.. anyway i recommend this to everyone.. not particularly to war movie fans but to everyone

Love from kerala, india.

I was lucky enough to sneak into a cast & crew screening at the Newtown Dendy cinema. I thought 10.30AM on a Sunday was too early for a Mel Gibson movie, that I might be in for something along the lines of the heavy-handedness of THE PASSION OF THE Christ, and the adrenaline pumped brilliance of APOCALYPTO.

I was proved wrong because after the first thirty minutes I wasn't sure if this was a Mel Gibson film when I was placed into a comfort zone, with its melodrama set in a small Virginia town during the Forties, a schmaltzy romance, and the cliché violent drunken father who survived a brutal war. The performances were maybe a little let down by the clumsy dialogue, but all directed safely with a natural sense of storytelling.

By the 2nd act, I was put on high alert in the military training with our protagonist, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield who I at first felt was wrongly cast, but he really came through in the end). It was here when the true purpose of the story began to evolve, that of Doss' moral and internal conflict with using a gun! What he had to endure and stand-up for was a courage I greatly admired. It was also in this phase of the film that the dialogue and characters began to shine. Maybe it was the introduction of Vince Vaughn's character. We all know how Vaughn is notorious in ad-libbing, and it seemed to help because the other actors bounced off it well.

Now the story had me in their pocket because by the 3rd act I was with our protagonist and his platoon when they got to the battlefield graveyard of Hacksaw Ridge. You thought the horrific situation in WE WERE SOLDIERS was brutal, well this was captured so vividly that you felt you were there. It was almost on par with the brilliance of GAME OF THRONES; BATTLE OF THE BASTARDS.

Now I felt I was in a Mel Gibson film. As with Braveheart, the battle scenes in Hacksaw Ridge didn't hold back. Maybe a notch better because of today's CGI (and I didn't even notice the effects!). The scenes were unflinching, haunting and in your face. Possibly showing you the true horror of war. Definitely not for the squeamish.

The religious aspect of the film was relevant to the story, so as a non-believer I thought it was an integral part of the protagonist and had to be told, so it didn't bother me as much.

Overall the technical aspect of the film was brilliant, but then again I didn't really notice it because I was too distracted by the story and the characters, and when that occurs, I know the film has succeeded.

"Hacksaw Ridge" is a very inspirational and gripping war film directed by Mel Gibson. It shows what strong faith and staying true to what you believe can do. Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) is is a WWII Army Medic who serves in the Battle of Okinawa but refuses to carry a weapon because of his faith. He faces many challenges because of his faith even before he hits the battlefield. This makes for very interesting story. Along with a great story-line, this film is filled with action, drama, and a great cast. With Vince Vaughn playing the role of Sgt. Howell, Hugo Weaving playing the part of Tom Doss, and Andrew Garfield playing the part of Desmond Doss, the cast was just about perfect. In the end, this film is very inspirational and I encourage anyone to see it but if you like good war films, especially historical ones, I highly recommend this one.

Not one of my favourite war films, like 1930's 'All Quiet on the Western Front', 'Paths of Glory', 'The Thin Red Line' and 'Apocalypse Now', but exceptionally well made and incredibly powerful.

It has been said about 'Hacksaw Ridge' that the second half is better than the first half, something that is agreed with by me. Not that the family/character study stuff is bad, far from it, it's beautifully filmed, even better acted and paints Doss as a very fascinating character that it's easy from the get go to identify with his wants to succeed against all catastrophic odds.

Just that the first third does take time to get going with a pedestrian pace, the dialogue is corny (in fact, to me the dialogue is the least good thing about 'Hacksaw Ridge' in general and the element that rings true the least) and the sentimentality is laid too thick (this is also particularly true in the slightly underdeveloped romance).

However this is made up for by the entertaining yet hard-hitting training scenes and in particular the truly jaw-droppingly brutal war/battle scenes that soar in nerve-shredding intensity and raw emotion, giving the first 30 minutes of 'Saving Private Ryan' a run for its money and perhaps making it tame in comparison (high praise for a film with one of the most gut-wrenching first 30 minutes on film, though to me the rest of the film isn't quite as good).

Throughout 'Hacksaw Ridge' has exceptional production values, in particular the cinematography in the battle scenes, and Gibson directs like his life was depending on it. Rupert Gregson-Williams' score has the right amount of pulsating energy and nuance, and the sound effects in the war/battle scenes have a terrifying authenticity.

For a vast majority of the time, the story is very compelling and makes the most of mature and very easy to relate with themes. It has a wide range of emotional impact, being for the second half intensely powerful, much of the film being poignant, some of it sardonically amusing (without it being out of place) and also all of it inspirational. Rather than straying from the facts for dramatic license, Gibson is surprisingly respectful this time round.

Andrew Garfield has yet to give a better performance than his astonishing turn here (though he is splendid too in Martin Scorsese's 'Silence'), and Gibson similarly brings the best out of Sam Worthington (often a charisma-free actor but here doubts were cast aside) and Vince Vaughn (at his sardonic best while also touchingly subdued, proof that he can be good if the material serves him all which too often in his career it hasn't but it does brilliantly here). Hugo Weaving is terrific, also giving some of his best work in some time. Teresa Palmer makes the most of her role.

In conclusion, a near-triumphant come-back. 8/10 Bethany Cox